MSNBC taps weekender Chris Hayes for Ed Schultz's weeknight slot

MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes is going from working weekends to working weeknights.

Hayes, who had hosted a weekend morning show for the the cable news channel, has been tapped to take over its 8-9 p.m. time slot starting April 1. Ed Schultz, who had hosted that hour, is now moving to weekends.

For MSNBC, the hope is that Hayes can attract younger viewers and will be a better fit with Rachel Maddow, whose show runs in the 9-10 p.m. time slot. Hayes has often been a guest host on Maddow's show.

"Chris has done an amazing job creating a franchise on weekend morning," said MSNBC President Phil Griffin in a statement.

MSNBC has struggled in that hour, as has CNN against the juggernaut that is "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News.